From Out of the Ashes
by Edbha Foxe
Summary: Hermione's starts a new life after the final battle with a new job, a new outlook, and a new love interest! Read and review please!
1. Chapter 1

"From Out of the Ashes" written by Edbha Foxe

_Remember, anything you recognize of this is not mine, and I'm not making any money from it. Just playing in J.K. Rowling's back yard and hopefully not making too much of a mess. Please read and review; I am a new fanfic writer and would love to learn how to write better. Thanks!_

**PROLOGUE**

Hermione woke from the dream with teary eyes and a heavy heart. It had been a cruel reminder of what life had once held in store for her, and she resented it immensely.

In her dream, Harry and Ginny were married, as were she and Ronald, and they were all standing on the platform at King's Cross, watching as their children departed for Hogwarts. It was so perfect, and so unlike what she saw stretched before her that for a moment, she wanted to collapse in despair.

But there was work to be done. Harry and Ron were away at Auror training, Ginny was at home with her parents and a counsellor from St. Mungo's, and Hermione had remained at Hogwarts to help with cleaning and repairing.

Harry had understood her need to stay, but she and Ron had gotten in a serious fight over it. Ron had taken for granted that the "Golden Trio" would stay together, but Hermione had no desire to become an Auror. She'd had her fill of tragedy and danger, and simply wanted to help bring the school she loved back to its original state. She had tried to explain this to Ron, among other things.

The truth was, she wasn't completely sure, after everything she had been through, that she wanted the life that Ron had seemingly planned out for them, and she regretted her hasty kisses in the heat of the battle. At the time, nothing had seemed more important than showing Ron how she felt for him. Now, she wasn't sure how she felt at all. She needed time to think and be alone. Ron couldn't understand. He was in a great hurry to get his life on a particular path, and couldn't see how Hermione couldn't feel the same way. She didn't know how to explain it to him, and he had left without even saying goodbye. Harry apologized for Ron's behavior but also left, sending an owl every evening to make sure she was doing alright and to make sure she wasn't cutting herself off completely from the world.

She had been working very hard the past two weeks, helping to replenish the supply of healing potions in the hospital ward, helping clean the library and repair the books, and finally, helping to restore the grounds of Hogwarts. Today would be her last day of doing so, as she had been called up to the headmistress' offices the day before.

McGonagall had been selected as the best person to lead Hogwarts as it recovered from the war, and Hermione found herself part of the new headmistress' plans for the school. Professor Flitwick was looking into retiring, as at his advanced age it was time to begin thinking about such things, and he had hoped that Hermione would agree to be his apprentice and take over permanently when he left; and in the meantime, Madam Pince had left Hogwarts with Filch, leaving a need for a librarian. Hermione had not told Harry or Ron any of this, as she was still getting used to the idea herself, and McGonagall and the remaining faculty had agreed to be discreet until she was ready.

Hermione sighed as she pulled on her warmest clothes and slipped her wand into her sleeve. Tomorrow she would begin revision to take her final exams in a week's time, but for today, there was much work to be done and not enough hands to do it. She wanted an early start, and she also wanted the time for thinking. As she stepped out into the cold morning air, she took a deep breath and made her way towards her day's task: the Whomping Willow.


	2. Chapter 2

_Remember, anything you recognize of this is not mine, and I'm not making any money from it. Just playing in J.K. Rowling's back yard and hopefully not making too much of a mess. Please read and review; I am a new fanfic writer and would love to learn how to write better. Thanks!_

**RETREAT**

Hermione worked all day, clearing away broken branches and other debris, and throwing a number of spells over the willow carefully, to heal broken branch tips and encourage new growth. She had only taken a short break to eat some lunch, and then had continued working. She hadn't had any time to think at all, as she had to work extremely hard. Neville had helped for a while, but seemed to sense Hermione's need for solitude, and had left to perform other tasks, giving her a gentle squeeze on the shoulder and a sympathetic smile before he left.

Hermione had spent an hour or so sitting underneath the willow as it healed, thinking. She decided that McGonagall's plans for her were exactly suited to her. She loved Charms and thought she would make a good teacher, and had many ideas of new Charms she could work on developing, and she had so enjoyed working in the library. She knew that moving back in with her parents was not the answer, and in her practical way she knew that she couldn't simply drift by until their relationship recovered. She would need a job and somewhere to live, and Hogwarts could make her happy someday perhaps.

That decided, she turned to the problem with Ron, and found no immediate solution. She stood restlessly, feeling a sudden urge to run as fast as she could to the lake and throw herself in. She hated feeling so helpless, and the nervous energy filling her was more than she could bear. On a sudden impulse, she poked the knot in the tree and made her way towards the Shrieking Shack, with a half-formed idea that if she managed to clean and repair the Shack enough, that it would make an ideal place to retreat and think when she needed it.

She inspected the empty rooms, casting purging spells as she went, and found that other than the large bloodstain that she'd had to spell from the floor where she'd heard that Snape died, there was little actual repairing to be done. Satisfied, she began to plan what each room would be used for, and then she returned to the castle, knowing that she might be missed or even searched for if she were absent for too long.

As she sat with Neville at dinner in the Hall, along with everyone else who had remained to rebuild and restore Hogwarts, she allowed herself the opportunity to really get to know him. She and Neville had never truly been close, but she'd always felt that he was intelligent and kind. After the final battle and his leadership of the DA, she had realized that he was also very brave and motivated. They enjoyed their dinner and conversation, with no awkward silences or wary moments. They were very much alike, and had much in common.

Neville, as Professor Sprout's new apprentice, now possesed his own quarters in one of the towers, complete with a private greenhouse, but he offered to walk Hermione back to her quarters so that they could continue their conversation a bit more. When they reached the Gryffindor common room, where Hermione would be staying until she completed her exams, he gave her a gentle hug and went his own way. Hermione appreciated his respect for her continuing need for solitude, and went up the stairs to her dormitory, to begin packing for her move to her own apprenticing quarters tomorrow.

With the new direction she was heading and the new friendship that she felt could only grow as hers and Neville's apprenticeships went on, she began to feel the stirrings of hope for the first time in ages, and relished the slight return of the feelings she remembered from September each year, gathering her reading material and preparing to learn more at school. She would be allowed to continue learning now. There was no war to be fought except the one in her heart, and that could be dealt with in its own time, she hoped.

Deciding to put it aside for the time being, Hermione neatly packed her possesions, which she had returned to Hogwarts with after restoring her parents' lives and home. That had been a hard week, during which Hermione explained her reasons and apologized to her parents, who understood everything, including Hermione's need to return to the wizarding world. They had decided to keep Hermione's room for her whenever she needed it, and had helped her pack for the move to Hogwarts.

They had also discussed Ron, and though Hermione had been a little dissapointed that they had not been able to help her come to any decision about the matter, their promise to understand and support her no matter what she decided and their trust in her to make the right choice had given her enough confidence to quiet her mind until the time came to make the choices.

Harry had once again understood her need to reunite with her parents on her own, but Ron had felt dissapointed by it. He had hoped that she would introduce him as her boyfriend, but had found that she was not ready for any sort of committment, and rather needed time to consider. He had thought that everything had been decided, and wasn't taking it well at all. Harry never mentioned it in his letters, but Hermione knew that Ron's lack of correspondence had nothing to do with him being terrible at keeping in touch. He was hurting, and she felt terrible about it, but she knew in her heart that it would be every bit as unfair to Ron as it would be to herself if she didn't think things through and carefully decide.

When she finished packing and laying out her robes for tomorrow, she found herself exhausted, and sleep came quickly...


	3. Chapter 3

_Remember, anything you recognize of this is not mine, and I'm not making any money from it. Just playing in J.K. Rowling's back yard and hopefully not making too much of a mess. Please read and review; I am a new fanfic writer and would love to learn how to write better. Thanks!_

**LEARNING AND RELEARNING**

Hermione's week of revision went by too quickly for her own liking, but she now knew better than to overwork herself. She had continued to sit with Neville at dinners, and they had gone for a few walks around the grounds together, discussing whatever came to mind. Neville had a surprisingly quick sense of humour, and Hermione found herself beginning to laugh again. It was good to have someone to discuss books with. Harry and Ron had always been a bit bored with her discussions of books, and it was good to talk to someone who had read most of the same books.

Hermione had also enjoyed conversations with the other faculty members, who treated her as if she was already one of them. She was greatly encouraged by this, and hoped to get along as well as she could with everyone. Professor Trelawney was the only one who avoided her, and Hermione found herself feeling perfectly alright about that. She had always felt intensely uncomfortable with the divination teacher.

Harry's letters still arrived daily, full of news about Auror training and how the Weasley's were doing, and he was interested in knowing how the restoration of Hogwarts was coming along. She told him about her conversations with Neville, and her visits with Hagrid, but she didn't mention her apprenticeship or her visits to the Shrieking Shack.

For yes, Hermione was still managing to take time to set up the Shack, and had even gone to Diagon Alley to purchase furnature for it, which she then shrunk and smuggled into the Shack. She had been astonished by how clean the place stayed, and assumed that someone might have put a permanent cleaning spell over the place at some point. She didn't dare ask anyone about it, from reluctance to have anyone know about her retreats, and instead happily spent hours arranging layouts of a library, a sitting room, a small kitchen, the necessary bathroom, and a bedroom. The only thing she locked was the desk in the library, figuring that if anyone should happen to find the retreat, at least they wouldn't find out whose retreat it was. She put a few defense wards over it and left it at that.

Finally, the day of her exams arrived, and she worked furiously in the different classrooms all day, writing all her final exams and only taking short breaks to eat or use the loo. That night she had dinner in her new quarters, which Neville had helped her move her boxes to. She was too keyed up to eat with the other faculty. She would've been analyzing their facial expressions the whole time, trying to read her results in their eyes, and besides being very odd behavior, she knew it wasn't good for her mental state. So, she ate her simple dinner, which was then whisked away by a very wary house elf, and set to making her new quarters just right.

She started by hanging some forest tapestries in the sitting room, and some plain cream colored ones in the bedroom. She left the stone wall of her bathroom bare, as she didn't want it to be a steam trap, and instead charmed the walls to be a slightly blue shade. She moved some simple antique furniture in and then spent two hours setting up her bookcases. When she was finished, she sighed contentedly, feeling perfectly at home in her space. She had familiar photos, both muggle and magical, hanging on the walls, and she was surrounded by the smiling faces of those she loved.

The next morning, she found a stiff cream colored envelope beside her plate at breakfast, and with Neville egging her on, she read her exam results, which satisfied her completely, since each professor had given her an "Outstanding" on every subject. She and Neville grinned at eachother and dove into their breakfasts happily, discussing Hermione's upcoming apprenticeship.

Hermione spent the day cleaning the library, with Neville's help, and they spent nearly as much time reading whatever books were of interest to them. By the time she stumbled back to her rooms to bathe and change into fresh robes for dinner, Hermione was covered in dust and had aching sides from laughing over some of the books she and Neville had encountered and disposed of, such as some very out of date volumes of dueling etiquette and some Muggle hunting strategies.

That evening, while everyone was still seated after dinner, Hermione's apprenticeship was formally put to the faculty and board of Hogwarts, who all voted for her induction, and she was presented with her graduation certificate along with her contract of apprenticeship. She surprised Flitwick by happily stooping to hug him after shaking hands, which was the photo the Daily Prophet managed to snap for their Hogwarts section, which would go to press that Monday.

Hermione sat down at her desk that evening and wrote a letter to Harry and Ron, detailing her decision to work as librarian at Hogwarts and take on the Charms apprenticeship. She sent the letter away with a frown, knowing that Ron would not be happy about her news.

She also knew that she would have to make a decision regarding Ron very soon.

Saturday found Hermione in the Shrieking Shack, curled up in one of the overstuffed chairs with a steaming cup of Earl Grey and a decision to make.

It just wasn't fair to keep Ron hanging on or to keep him at arm's length, and she wanted to approach her new life fresh.

On one hand, she was very fond of Ron, and thought she could love him someday. He was absentminded, but kind when he remembered, and he was very protective and loving with his family, which she admired. He was also easy going and gentle. She would always be well taken care of, and he was, after all, one of her best friends.

On the other hand, she wasn't sure that it was right to pursue anything with someone she wasn't sure she loved in that way, and she knew that she could never live up to being the kind of life parter that Ron wanted. She wanted a career and intellectual stimulation, and she wanted to travel at some point and develop new magic if she could. She wasn't ready for settling down, especially not Ron's image of settling down. She could never be Mrs. Weasley. She knew it wasn't fair to try to be something she wasn't, or to let Ron believe that she'd try to. Ron was important to her, but her own life was important too.

Hermione decided that while she was still herself, much had changed in the weeks since the battle, and she wasn't ready for a relationship with Ron, or anyone else for that matter. She returned to her rooms in the castle and wrote Ron a letter, which she then sent with Hedwig and her letter to Harry.

_Dear Ron;_

_I am terribly sorry, but I am not ready to pursue a relationship with you. I have some things I want to accomplish, and I don't know if you and I are right for eachother. I love you as a friend, and I am sorry that I ever lead to to believe anything else. I'm not ready to be the kind of woman you need at all, and unless something changes, I would prefer that we remain good friends. Please forgive me for waiting so long to make a decision about this: I wanted to be fair to both of us, and I wanted to take the time to think things through. I wish you all the best and hope we can keep in touch. _

_Hermione_


	4. Chapter 4

_Remember, anything you recognize of this is not mine, and I'm not making any money from it. Just playing in J.K. Rowling's back yard and hopefully not making too much of a mess. Please read and review; I am a new fanfic writer and would love to learn how to write better. Thanks!_

**STORMY WEATHER**

Hermione was writing in the Charms classroom when the house elf arrived with a note from McGonagall. Hermione smiled and thanked the elf, who said nothing, only glancing warily at the scarf Hermione had slung over the back of her chair as if it were a python. The rather nervous creature pattered away, leaving Hermione alone once again.

She had dressed simply today, as she had spent the morning organizing the classroom and the library. She hadn't quite outgrown Muggle clothing at all, and still felt most comfortable with her jeans and sweaters. There had been another trip to Diagon Alley to purchase appropriate robes for teaching and a few outfits for going out, but they felt too new to be working in.

Hermione turned her attention to the note, which was written with a sumptuous green ink; no purple for McGonagall! The note was to inform Hermione that she had a visitor waiting for her in the Great Hall. Hermione rose eagerly, expecting that Harry was her visitor, and wondering why McGonagall didn't simply say so. She rushed down to the Hall, leaving her work behind her without a backwards glance; it had been so long.

She fairly skidded to a halt as she approached the open doors of the Hall, for it was Ron, rather than Harry, waiting for her, and he didn't look at all pleased. Hermione slowed her pace a little and glanced around quickly in case Harry was nearby somewhere to save her from a sudden awkwardness she felt emanating from Ron. Ron scowled and stepped closer to her.

"Harry had some extra training to do today. It's just me."

Hermione latched on to the absent Harry as a lifesaver.

"If he would read his material ahead of time instead of going to Quidditch matches he wouldn't have to do so much catching up. You didn't need the training?"

"No, I got by alright, though the examinor was giving me a funny look as I left today...I think he would've dragged me back too if he'd had the chance. It wasn't important stuff though."

"Ronald, ALL of your auror training is important! If you miss something, you could be killed and put your fellows in danger as well; you make sure you learn everything properly and you tell Harry that I said to do so also. I can't lose the two of you on top of everything else that's happened."

"So you do care, Hermione? Then why did you write that letter to me?"

Hermione sighed, immediately seeing where this conversation was going. It was inevitable. Ron had always needed things spelled out for him very carefully and it took forever to get unwanted information through to him. She drew in a shuddering breath and began.

"Of course I care, Ronald, but I don't care in the way that you want me to. I told you that."

"Yeah, in a letter. A letter, Hermione! And I don't believe you really mean it. Just remember the night of the battle...there was something there, Hermione."

"That something was fear, and I thought that it was the end of our world, Ron. People do things that they later regret when there's a war on. I'm sorry Ron, but I want more to life than romance. I want to make my way and find some substance to life before I committ to someone; I have ambitions and I want to focus on them without distractions."

Ron stepped even closer to her and gently toyed with one of her curls.

"So you find me distracting, do you," he asked before bending his head in to claim a kiss. Hermione stepped back from his grasp, resisting the urge to slap his face in her anger. Honestly, he could be so thick sometimes!

"Ronald, I am not interested in you! I am your friend; always have been and always will be, but I am a different person now and I want to get to know that person without you or anyone else stepping in to tell me who that person should be! Don't you get it?"

She turned around quickly to leave, but Ron was quicker, and he grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him, gripping her other arm in the process. He stared into her eyes, and she saw his desperation and anger, as well as the dawning of despair. She couldn't bear to look but there was nowhere else to look.

"We were meant to be together, Hermione! Always have been! I'll keep coming back again and again until you see that."

"Ronald, leave me alone!"

Hermione wrenched her arms from his grasp and ran, not seeing or caring where she was going, until she felt a fresh breeze coming through an open doorway, which she immediately followed to the Whomping Willow. She glanced back to the castle, tears streaming from her eyes, to be sure that she had not been followed, and when the coast was clear, she ran down the tunnel to the Shrieking Shack, where she threw herself into one of the chairs and cried stormily.

When she was finished crying, she still felt an incredible pain and restlessness, and hardly knowing what she was doing, she began to cast spells angrily, sending books and mugs and other objects crashing to the floor. When she had completely destroyed her sitting room, she collapsed, realizing what she'd done, and cried again.

Waking up a few hours later, Hermione numbly reversed her previous spells and restored the room, then she sat down and calmed herself, though she could not calm the ache inside.

Deciding she needed a cup of tea to ease her now raw throat, she trudged to the kitchen, and began to boil a kettle of water. She could conjure a cup of tea easily, but she felt a certain peace from the Muggle ritual and was tired of magic for the moment. As she waited, she wiped the counters, which is when she saw the small sheaf of plant matter on the edge of the counter. She hastily drew her wand and checked it for curses, and then walked over the entire shack, checking for intruders and ensuring that her protective spells were still in place. There was nothing.

Hermione turned off the kettle and returned to the castle hurriedly. There was an intruder in her retreat and she had to find out if they were friend or foe immediately. She glanced at the plants, which she had slipped into her pocket. Neville would know what they were.


End file.
